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This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

It is a very old Jewish tradition in many countries to serve fried eggplant slices cold or at room temperature at the Sabbath lunch. This dish is very good as it is, but you might like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a sprinkle of chopped flat-leaf parsley after the eggplant is fried.

Ingredients

3 eggplants (about 3¾ pounds), cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices

3 tablespoons kosher salt

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Lay the eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle the salt over them. Let stand for about 30 minutes, then pat the eggplant slices dry. As a result of this process, the eggplants will be crispier when fried.

Place a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Pour enough oil into the skillet to fill it halfway. The oil will be ready for frying when it sizzles upon contact with a drop of water. Be careful, however--if the oil is too hot, the outer surface of the eggplant slices will brown before the interior flesh is fully cooked.

Place a single layer of eggplant slices in the oil. Fry for about 1 minute, then turn them over and fry for 1 minute more. They should be slightly brown. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding more oil if necessary. Drain on paper towels.